A Land of Frost and Flames
by Wild Cat 214
Summary: Rewrite/Reboot of Frozen Flames: Held prisoner for three years, the last thing Adlyn expected was to be freed by another friend of dragons. Now, she must come to terms with a world that cannot see past the surface, and a new life among people who think only of war.
1. Prologue: Cooperation

**Author's Notes: Before we begin, I'd just like to give an honorary mention to a certain guest who commented on chapters 13 and 16 of Frozen Flames. Your words were so kind, so open-minded, so friendly and well-meant that it truly touched my heart. Thank you for those two reviews. No, really, thank you.**

 **Anyway, as promised, here's the reboot/rewrite of _Frozen Flames_! I can only hope that it turns out far better than the original. Considering that's not such a high bar, well... we'll see.**

 **WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS IMPLIED TORTURE AND DARK THEMES.**

* * *

The waiting was the worst part. Not the cracking of the whip as they "persuaded" his dam to obey them, not the knowledge that this was _all his fault_ , but that he was forced to sit and wait for the inevitable. His only ray of light in this nightmare was that the time it took his dam to agree to check the weather grew shorter and shorter, which meant Adlyn was hurt less and less.

Small consolation, indeed, but at the moment, Starfrost would take it. These humans, they were worse than the predators his dam had warned him of when he was still a hatchling. At least _they_ were merciful enough to kill their victims in the name of survival. The humans of this island were so much crueler, with so little purpose. Why would they willingly hurt others of their own kind for no reason? Even his dam's explanation, that humans made no sense, wasn't enough.

 _And they call_ us _monsters._

Rumbling caught his attention, the feel of several pairs of feet stomping down the cold stone hall towards his cell, and Starfrost tensed. Was it over already? Had Frostwave conceded before too much damage could be done to her soul-sister? All he could do was wait.

The scent-taste was the first thing he picked up about Adlyn's condition. Fresh wounds, with the faint trace of blood underneath; fear, _so much fear_ ; more pain than he had ever sensed before; it all combined into one horrifying image in his mind. They had hurt Adlyn far more than before, in a far shorter period.

The humans stopped before the cell door, a younger male marked with a yellow diamond holding Adlyn up, to Starfrost's displeasure. One male unlocked the door, and while the diamond-male led Adlyn in and began tending to the latest wounds, Starfrost rapidly scraped the bone at the end of his tail across the stony surface. A warning to the diamond-male, one that he always gave, despite his inability to carry it out. One that was always ignored.

It took longer than normal, perhaps because her wounds were more severe than usual, but once the diamond-male was done, the monster-humans locked Adlyn and Starfrost in the cell again and left. Once the vibrations of their steps faded away, the Silver Horror slithered over and spread a wing over Adlyn's body, careful not to touch her back.

" _They hurt you more,_ " he rumbled, and the young female nodded slightly. " _Why?_ "

"Frostwave told them about a storm to the south."

" _I don't see why that's bad._ "

"It happened about a week ago. They weren't very happy about missing their chance."

Starfrost was silent; there were no words for this that he hadn't already said. Adlyn seemed to accept this as her cue to sleep and recover, and curled her limbs beneath her body. Ever so loosely, the Silver Horror coiled around her compact figure, letting the heat radiating from him warm the female. Adlyn was like an egg, or so his dam claimed. She couldn't handle the chill of the cell like him and his dam, so one of them needed to keep her warm while she slumbered.

When Frostwave returned, he would relinquish the task of warming her soul-sister and begin a watch for their next meal while the two slept. For now, Starfrost would simply watch and wait, just like he had for the past three years.

* * *

 _Her mother's grip on her hand tightened as she and Adlyn approached the docks, but Adlyn didn't flinch. It wasn't nearly as bad as training with her uncle in using a spear. She still had some aching bruises on her back from their last spar. Adlyn_ did _look up at her mother's face, however. Her jaw was clenched tight in a scowl, her eyes were focused straight ahead and never strayed_ — _it was enough to make the little girl pick up the pace, if only to avoid her mother's infamous death glare. Soon, the creaking of wood replaced the thud of footsteps on hard soil, and the two were standing before a large, unfamiliar ship with two men on deck._

 _One, Adlyn didn't recognize, though his clothes were different from what the villagers wore. The other was her father. Here, her mother released her hand, and Adlyn watched with quiet curiosity the scene that unfolded._

 _"So. Gunnar was right when he said you were leaving." At the sound of her mother's voice, her father looked up. Dark where her mother was light, he was very different from the rest of the village. Not quite Viking. At least, that was what her uncle claimed._

 _"I have to make sure, Vigdis. I need to know if anyone else survived."_

 _"And what, you were going to leave us behind while you had Trader Olaf take you there? A wife belongs at her husband's side, whether in war or peace. A family belongs together." Vidgis pulled Adlyn close, hands resting firmly on her shoulders, and turned an accusatory look on him. Her father was silent, pensive, his gaze low, before he turned to the other man._

 _"Olaf, are you willing to take two more passengers? I can pay you for the trouble," Ragnar asked, already reaching for the pouch at his waist. The man_ _–_ _Olaf_ – _glanced to Adlyn and Vigdis before nodding and holding out a hand._

 _"They can come, as well. But don't get up to any funny business down below. There's only one room for sleeping, and we all have to share it."_

 _"I understand." Golden coins flashed in the sunlight as they changed hands, and Adlyn soon found herself being lifted onto the boat by her father._

 _"Dearest, we're going on a trip. Can you watch over our things while Mum and Da finish packing?" he asked. A grin, a nod, and a chirp of, "Yes, Da," were his reply._

 _Adlyn watched her parents leave the ship and return to the village, then devoted her time to intense staring at the basket her father had already packed and curious thoughts. This would be her first time leaving the island. Who knew what lay beyond the horizon? Would she need her training spear? She hoped one of them remembered to pack it. Uncle Gunnar said that practice was the whetstone of skills, whatever a whetstone was, and only practice would keep her sharp. Sharp was good, right? Everyone else seemed to think so, so it must be good._

 _She'll be sharp, then. She'll be the sharpest girl in the Archipelago! She'll make Uncle Gunnar and Mum and Da proud!_

 _Even though her back still hurt from all the times Uncle Gunnar hit her during practice._

* * *

 **Author's Notes: Sorry for how grim this version starts off. I promise, it gets lighter! ...Eventually.**

 **A big, actual shoutout to MMM and Fanfic Hunter! MMM for being so devoted despite the long wait, and Fanfic Hunter for being a decent, understanding person!**

 **Alas, MMM, this story won't be exactly the same. Adlyn's had a BIG personality change, as have most of my original characters. Silver Horrors have had an even bigger overhaul, both in design and ability, and are, I hope, far more realistic (for dragons, anyways).**

 **Fanfic Hunter - Thanks for the compliments, and your advice to our "special" guest (who hit more stories than just mine, I believe) is something everyone on the Internet should probably keep in mind: There will always be people out there with different tastes, so we should just agree to disagree and move on with our lives.**

 **Now to get off my high horse and tell y'all about my new poll. It's an idea I had regarding a new direction Frozen Flames could go, so if you'd like, go ahead and vote on it.**

 **Until next time, Wild Cat, out!**


	2. Chapter 1: Black Raiders

This was bad. This was so very, very bad.

Crouched behind a boulder, all Hiccup could feel was dread. There, not fifty paces away, were at least two dozen dangerous-looking men and women, all of them with red tattoos on their right biceps. They came in simple, varied shapes and shades, but he knew what the markings meant.

These were the infamous people of Blackstone Island, and now he knew why most called them the Black Raiders. Every single one held weapons made of a black, shiny material, almost glasslike in appearance, with jagged edges that looked painful even from his hiding place.

But what were they doing on Berk's northern beach? They never came this far south, not unless there was a storm for them to lurk in and attack some unlucky trading vessel. They most certainly didn't start preparations for what looked like a raid on his island, going by the six unusual craft resting on the shore.

Hiccup glanced back at the forest, where he had told Toothless to wait. If it hadn't been for their usual afternoon training (this time, to test the various positions of the tail fin mechanism and make his cheat sheet), he might never have spotted the raiders, but a large black dragon was very conspicuous during the day, even with cover. A scrawny boy, however, had a much easier time hiding, and at the moment, Hiccup was very glad he was a talking fishbone, not an extra-large boy with beefy arms, extra guts and glory on the side.

Just as he was turning to report to Gobber about the Black Raiders, Hiccup felt a hand roughly take hold of his shoulder and pin him to the boulder, pressing his face into its weather-smoothed surface.

"Muug fryd fa ryja rana," he heard a man's snide voice call out, and within minutes, Hiccup could see he was surrounded by Blackstone's people.

"Ra ec hud silr du muug yd," a woman commented snidely. "Suna mega y fymgehk vahlabucd dryh y puo."

"E ryja paah sayhehk du kad y haf cmyja vun y muhk desa," the first man replied laughingly. "Ra femm canja so binbucac. Ajah ev ra ec y clnyfho drehk."

Their words were foreign and harsh, with odd sounds that he found difficult to hear, let alone understand—the language of Blackstone Island, he guessed. It made no sense to him how an entire island had a different language than those around it, but then again, he didn't know much about these people beyond what Gobber had told him.

When the man crushing him against the rock suddenly pulled him up and began forcing him towards their ships, however, he got the gist of it. Hiccup had heard stories about how the Black Raiders sometimes took young folk from the ships they assaulted and put them to work as slaves. In his youth, Gobber had run into one that had escaped, though he still bore the marks of his time on Blackstone. It had been an awful sight, and the ornery blacksmith had seen a lot.

Well, he did not want that fate for himself.

Hiccup dug his feet into the sand and began pressing back against the man, hoping that his struggles would break him free of the iron grip on his tunic.

"Puo, oui paddan cdub drec pavuna E ryja du gemm oui!" the man shouted, and Hiccup wondered why none of the other raiders were trying to stop him. Laughter rose from the mob surrounding him, and he got the feeling they were laughing at his captor, not him.

"Ec y biha puo duu silr vun oui, Gale? Ruf bydradel," one man taunted. The man - Gale, perhaps? - grunted wordlessly, and his hold on Hiccup got tighter, painfully so. He cried out, earning another round of snickers from the raiders.

Their laughter was quickly silenced by an infuriated roar from the forest, and dread filled his being. Not Toothless. They would kill him.

The gods apparently did hate him, because the Night Fury he had befriended came leaping out of the trees and landed on a cluster of men and women, knocking over several more with a sweep of his tail and letting out an ear-piercing roar.

"No, Toothless! Get out of here!" Hiccup shouted, and the moment of hesitation from the dragon was all it took for a swarm of raiders to descend on him and hold him down.

"Y dragon!" the man holding him spat, and a shudder went down Hiccup's spine at the sudden feeling of menace he received. "Yht drec puo ec vneahtc fedr ed! Oui cyf ruf ra lussyhtat ed du cdyht tufh!"

"Ed ec y Night Fury, Gale! E ryja caah dras pavuna, frah E fyc y ouihk syh," another raider, an older man with a grizzled beard called out. "Drao yna vuim paycdc, yc lincat yc druca Silver Horrors fa ryja mulgat ib! Du gemm uha ec du famlusa secvundiha."

The others murmured nervously amongst themselves, until one of them had the idea to grab a coil of rope and bind Toothless very thoroughly, to both dragon and boy's dismay.

"Fa lyh camm dra dragon du dryd syh, Gale," she suggested, pulling the ropes tighter than was surely comfortable for Toothless. "Y Night Fury ec nyna, yht fuimt cinamo vadra y bnaddo bnela. Fa fuimd pa kejehk res y bufanvim paycd, yvdan ymm."

Gale considered this, shooting both Hiccup and Toothless venomous looks as he thought. Eventually, he nodded.

"Jano famm. Fa femm dyga dras pylg du Blackstone yht mad dra Captain syga dra vehym taleceuh," he announced, and before Hiccup could even begin to understand, the young Viking was being picked up and taken aboard one ship. The other raiders began packing up their siege weapons and transporting them back to the ships-at least, that was what it looked like in the ephemeral moment he could see the beach again. Despite his protests and struggles, he was thrown into a hold with multiple barrels and crates – some full, some empty, if the ones he crashed into were a clue – and the grate leading to freedom was locked and held down by a massive beam.

"What are you going to do with me?" Hiccup called out, to no avail. These people either didn't understand him or were ignoring him, and he frankly couldn't tell which was worse.

Outraged, frantic roars from outside caught his attention, and though the shouts from his captors were unintelligible, there was a certain glee to them that caused bile to rise in his throat. They were doing something to Toothless, and it was all his fault. If he hadn't tried to find out about these people ―

No, he couldn't think like that. Not investigating the raiders could have turned out even worse. If Hiccup was right about his brief glimpse of the siege weapons, and they were calling off the raid, then maybe getting captured wasn't all bad. At least he had helped the village. Too bad help was unlikely to come, especially not for Toothless.

The ship surged beneath him, sending Hiccup to his knees, and from the gentle rocking, it appeared they had pushed off from the beach and were preparing to leave Berk. That was good. Making sure the village was safe was a good thing. Getting captured was... less of a good thing, but he would find a way to escape. He'd find a way for both of them to escape. He wouldn't allow himself to fail. Not this time.

Now, he could feel motion beneath his feet, and from the many footsteps overhead and the nonsensical shouts, Hiccup could figure one thing out:

They were underway for parts unknown, and gods help them when they arrived.

* * *

 _Translations, for your convenience:_

 _Muug fryd fa ryja rana. - Look what we have here._

 _Ra ec hud silr du muug yd. Suna mega y fymgehk vahlabucd dryh y puo. - He is not much to look at. More like a walking fencepost than a boy._

 _E ryja paah sayhehk du kad y haf cmyja vun y muhk desa. Ra femm canja so binbucac. Ajah ev ra ec y clnyfho drehk. - I have been meaning to get a new slave for a long time. He will serve my purposes. Even if he is a scrawny thing._

 _Puo, oui paddan cdub drec pavuna E ryja du gemm oui! - Boy, you better stop this before I have to kill you!_

 _Ec y biha puo duu silr vun oui, Gale? Ruf bydradel. - Is a puny boy too much for you, Gale? How pathetic._

 _Y dragon! Yht drec puo ec vneahtc fedr ed! Oui cyf ruf ra lussyhtat ed du cdyht tufh! - A dragon! And this boy is friends with it! You saw how he commanded it to stand down!_

 _Ed ec y Night Fury, Gale! E ryja caah dras pavuna, frah E fyc y ouihk syh. Drao yna vuim paycdc, yc lincat yc druca Silver Horrors fa ryja mulgat ib! Du gemm uha ec du famlusa secvundiha. - It is a Night Fury, Gale! I have seen them before, when I was a young man. They are foul beasts, as cursed as those Silver Horrors we have locked up! To kill one is to welcome misfortune._

 _Fa lyh camm dra dragon du dryd syh, Gale. Y Night Fury ec nyna, yht fuimt cinamo vadra y bnaddo bnela. Fa fuimd pa kejehk res y bufanvim paycd, yvdan ymm. - We can sell the dragon to that man, Gale. A Night Fury is rare, and would surely fetch a pretty price. We would be giving him a powerful beast, after all._

 _Jano famm. Fa femm dyga dras pylg du Blackstone yht mad dra Captain syga dra vehym taleceuh. - Very well. We will take them back to Blackstone and let the Captain make the final decision._

* * *

 **Author's Notes: Oh, Hiccup, you have no idea what you've gotten yourself into.**

 **Mariah (Chapter 1, Dec. 25) - There will indeed be shipping in this story, but it's going to be gradual. It's not exactly going to be love-at-first-sight. Adlyn's still a girl. I think you may have mixed her up with Starfrost, since the first part is told from his POV, while the second is Adlyn's dream (kinda). Not sure about the crossover between Predator and HTTYD, as I'm not very familiar with Predator, but I am thinking about one between Fullmetal Alchemist and Naruto. I probably won't publish it very soon, but I've got some work done on it. As for a jealous Astrid, well, that's unlikely to happen right away, if at all, considering when I'm setting this.**

 **Guest (Chapter 1, Dec. 25) - Considering that they were not reviews so much as someone telling me I shouldn't write my story because it's not Hiccstrid and Adeline was not exactly sane, I feel my response was somewhat warranted. If they had given** _ **constructive**_ **criticism and not complaints, then sarcasm would not have been necessary and I would have taken their remarks into consideration for my later writing.**

 **For the record, I believe you're allowed to agree with what you want, and I'm allowed to write what I want.**

 **Guest (Chapter 1, Jan. 11) - Thank you for the praise! I'm hoping to make my writing even better in the future. As for the update schedule, please see below. This chapter, the previous one, and the next are mostly going to set the stage for this story, so they'll be smaller than usual.**

 **Yeah, so... I was a moron and somehow got it into my head that if** _ **I**_ **know the update schedule, somehow you all magically will as well. From now on, I'll try to update on the 25th of each month. If I miss a day, feel free to send me scathing PM's asking where your chapter is. With any luck, I'll just have forgotten and will put it up as quickly as possible.**

 **This is your host, Wild Cat, signing off!**


	3. Chapter 2: Be Our Guest

If Hiccup had to guess, he'd say they had been on the open sea for about two days. That was how many meals they had given him the entire voyage. At least the meager servings of bread and water had been fresh. He could only hope they were doing the same for Toothless, though it was unlikely. During all that time, no one said a word to him, settling for venomous glares during meals instead. To be honest, it was starting to get to him. A few more days like this, and he'd start talking to himself just to break the silence.

Thankfully, the ship came to a jarring stop before then, and if the shouts and bustle of activity were any sign, they had arrived at their mystery destination. That was the only reason he wasn't completely surprised when a man with a surprisingly well-trimmed beard came down and lifted him by the tunic to snarl, in fragmented Norse, "Try funny business, dragon dies."

With that, he spun Hiccup around, bound his wrists with a coil of scratchy rope, and slung him over one stiff muscle before leaving the hold. Above deck, the two of them were met with jeering shouts and catcalls, although he couldn't understand a word of it. More of Blackstone's inhabitants lined the rocky paths and wooden docks of what looked like some kind of massive ring of stone, as tall and jagged as the mountains of Berk, filled with many, many strange ships. Unlike the ones Hiccup knew, these had triangular sails placed along the ship, not square sails set across, and small, streamlined hulls, with surprisingly large anchors and ballistae placed on the beams. Odd craft for odd people, he supposed.

On another ship, he could see four men lifting out Toothless, the Night Fury's tail limp as it dragged against the wood, his eyelids fluttering weakly. That wasn't good. Had they starved Toothless the entire voyage? Considering how that Gale fellow reacted to the two of them, it seemed all too likely.

Before he could see more, Hiccup was roughly unloaded to the dock and found himself standing before Gale. The look he was given was colder than Berk's winter, and it sent a shiver down his spine.

"Fryd femm fa tu fedr dra puo, Gale?" the man gripping his bound arms asked in a low, respectful tone.

"Fa femm dyga res du dra Captain du taleta rec vyda. Rock, Shale, dyga dra dragon du dra taab lammc." At the barked command, two of the men that had brought Toothless out dumped him upon a wheelbarrow and began pushing him deeper into Blackstone.

"Hey! Where are you taking him?" Hiccup blurted out frantically. At his outburst, Gale smirked and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Relax, boy. You will be with dragon soon. First, we go to Captain."

0*0*0

 _So many stairs._

While the raiders didn't seem to tire at all, Hiccup's legs were already beginning to feel like lead as they climbed yet another curving staircase hewn from the island's innards. Even trekking back and forth through Berk's forest hadn't prepared him for this, and his worry for Toothless wasn't helping matters.

It was to his everlasting relief that he and his escort came to a landing and went down a long hallway, the floor worn smooth by several generations of feet. Torches were placed at even intervals within slanted holes in the walls, and more hallways branched off deeper into the island. They passed the occasional door, but all were shut tight, and Hiccup couldn't hear a thing past them. Perhaps most of the inhabitants had been down at the docks?

Before he could ponder any more, Gale stopped before an impressive door and knocked twice, shooting Hiccup a cocky smirk as he stepped back. The man's confidence unnerved him. Just how bad was this situation?

"Ahdan."

The man's voice was stern and commanding, but there was something to it that sent goosebumps up his arms. Whoever last beyond this door was most definitely not pleasant, and considering one of his escorts was currently opening it up, Hiccup had a feeling he was going to find out exactly how nasty this fellow was. Gale led the procession into the chamber, blocking his view of its inhabitant as he spoke more of that garbled language.

While he still could, Hiccup took time to look around. He didn't like what he saw. Weapons, helmets, and skulls were mounted on the walls, lain across shelves, and hung from the ceiling, the cold iron and bleached bone gleaming softly in the torchlight. Trophies from previous raids, he realized with a shudder. The Berserker Skrill could be seen on a few shields, as well as the crests and designs of plenty more tribes-including that of his own.

Movement caught his attention - Gale was stepping to the side - and the man revealed perfectly matched the stern voice from before. Tall, imposing, dressed in a simple woolen tunic and fur-lined coat, he stared at Hiccup with a calculating gleam in his odd eyes. One was a distinct green, while the other was a warm brown, yet there was something hard to them that matched his voice.

"Cu drec puo lussyhtc y dragon? E veht ed rynt du pameaja," the man scoffed.

"Hud zicd yha dragon, Captain, pid y Night Fury. Fa ryja ymnayto bmylat ed eh dra taab lammc."

The man's mismatched eyes narrowed in Gale's direction, before a wicked look took hold and he smiled. Oddly enough, it didn't soothe Hiccup's nerves.

"Ryja res zueh ed. Banrybc lusbyha femm syga dra puo suna femmehk du mecdah frah dra desa lusac."

Gale smirked and nodded, then snapped at the raiders restraining Hiccup, "Dyga res du dra Night Fury."

Without warning, he was swiftly turned around and frogmarched from the chamber. More stairs, these leading down, down, down, further than the level with the docks, and then a clammy corridor with edged iron bars instead of doors. Hiccup recognized a prison when he saw one - Berk had a few cells for prisoners-of-war - but seeing this many shook him to the core. If anyone tried to rescue him, there was a very good chance they'd simply end up joining him down here. The thought made his stomach churn, and distracted him from when they finally stopped and opened the door of one such cell.

They shoved him through the opening without a word. If Toothless had not already been inside, Hiccup would probably have fallen flat on his face. Twisting around with the dragon's support, he glanced back, catching the cold glare of one raider, just before they shut the door, locked it, and left. The flickering torch outside illuminated little of the cell and hall, but he could make out the bars of another across from him. Aside from him and Toothless, there was nothing else down here.

Something hissed in the darkness, and from the way Toothless tensed, Hiccup decided to revise that statement. There was something down here, something in that cell across the way, and it did _not_ sound happy.

* * *

 _Translations_

 _Fryd femm fa tu fedr dra puo, Gale? - What will we do with the boy, Gale?_

 _Fa femm dyga res du dra Captain du taleta rec vyda. Rock, Shale, dyga dra dragon du dra taab lammc. - We will take him to the Captain to decide his fate. Rock, Shale, take the dragon to the deep cells._

 _Ahdan - Enter_

 _Cu drec puo lussyhtc y dragon? E veht ed rynt du pameaja - So this boy commands a dragon? I find it hard to believe_

 _Hud zicd yha dragon, Captain, pid y Night Fury. Fa ryja ymnayto bmylat ed eh dra taab lammc - Not just any dragon, Captain, but a Night Fury. We have already placed it in the deep cells_

 _Ryja res zueh ed. Banrybc lusbyha femm syga dra puo suna femmehk du mecdah frah dra desa lusac - Have him join it. Perhaps company will make the boy more willing to listen when the time comes_

 _Dyga res du dra Night Fury - Take him to the Night Fury_

* * *

 **Author's Notes: I wonder what could possibly be in that cell. Hmm… Chapters are going to get longer from here on out, so fair warning. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed, favorited, followed, or just read this story so far. I hope I live up to your expectations.**

 **Mariah (Chapter 2, Jan. 26) - Now you know, huh? :P**

 **What lurks in the deep cells with Hiccup and Toothless? Will they escape from Blackstone Island? Will I stop asking questions that everyone knows the answers to? Find out next time on Dragonball-er, I mean, A Land of Frost and Flames!**

 **Wild Cat, away!**


	4. Chapter 3: New Neighbors

Most people counted the passage of time through the movement of the sun across the sky. In the deep cells, sunlight was a myth. Adlyn only saw it in her sleep, when she dreamed of a happier girl's life.

Instead of using the sun to mark the days, she used meals. Every other day, a silent raider would descend to the cells with a bucket of fresh water and a tray with three smoked fish on it, one for each of the cell's occupants—what she counted as a "mealday." Every fourteen mealdays, she and Frostwave would be taken from their cell; while Adlyn stayed on the prison level to pay for her crimes, Frostwave was taken to the top of the Watchtower to "predict" the weather. After that, they had a whole month to recover before it began all over again.

What started off as a way to convince Frostwave to cooperate became just another exercise in cruelty. Their spirits were broken a long time ago.

0*0*0

That mealday began like any other. With the smoked fish already devoured (two swallowed whole, one reduced to nothing but thin bones), and the bucket filled halfway with cold, flat water, there wasn't much for any of the cell's three inhabitants to do. Starfrost had taken up his usual position in the shadows by the cell door, jaw pressed flat to the floor on the off chance of something unusual happening. Frostwave was coiled up as far away from it as possible, dozing in the perpetual darkness. Adlyn was resting in the hole formed by the female dragon's slender body.

Only the soft crunch of fish bones in Adlyn's mouth broke the silence. It was either that or sleep, and to be honest, she was tired of sleeping. Small talk was considered pointless by her dragon companions, and they already knew everything important about each other. At this point, boredom was their greatest enemy.

At least it didn't last long.

The only warning Adlyn received was the sudden tensing of Frostwave against her back and the muffled, raspy hiss from Starfrost. She didn't understand what he said — he must have used the dragons-only dialect — but Adlyn got the message. Something was coming, and it was probably not good.  
Not long after, the rumble of something wheeled could be heard, along with the grunts of at least one person straining to move something. It was probably big, and that just left her feeling even more worried. What was going on? Had they decided to change something in the schedule?

Routine was one of the few things Adlyn could depend on now. Without it, she was stranded in darkness.

The first thing to come into view was a wheeled cart of some kind, with something large, lumpy, and black on top. Right behind it were two raiders, who spared little more than a quick, dirty look for their shadowy cell before unlocking the one directly opposite and dumping the lumpy black thing inside.  
Adlyn didn't dare speak while the raiders were present. The less attention she drew, the better. It was only after Starfrost signaled they were gone with a soft flick of his tail that she climbed out of Frostwave's warm, protective coils and approached him. "Starfrost? What happened out there?"

He stared at the cell opposite, and if she strained her eyes, Adlyn could see the thing move. It was alive. Something else shared their predicament.  
A long, narrow, forked tongue slipped out from his jaws several times, "tasting" the air. " _It's a dragon. Young, male, of a species I've never met before._ "

" _So it could be any number of dragons,_ " Frostwave groused, not moving from her position. " _You are only familiar with one species, hatchling: your own. There are dozens that you have yet to encounter._ "

In another situation, Adlyn would have been comforted by her bond-mate's conviction that they would meet other dragons — surely they would be more welcoming than humans — but locked in a cell, with an entire island's worth of enemies between them and freedom, it was hard to be so confident. Especially not when she knew firsthand how vicious the raiders could be. It was far more likely that she'd die down here.

 _I hope I see the sun before I die. I miss how warm it was._

Thinking about sunlight only reminded her of the clammy chill that pervaded their cell, and Adlyn scurried back to Frostwave. The heat coming off the dragon's scales was one of the few good things left to her. She nestled herself in the center of the Horror's coils, ignoring the unforgiving stone beneath her side like she always did.

 _A nap would be nice. Maybe I will dream of my parents again..._

Her eyelids fluttered shut, only to flash open in panic at the sound of a cell door opening.

 _Not again please not again it has not even been a month since the last time please do not hurt me again —_

Instead of hearing a coldly barked command, however, all Adlyn heard was a muffled thump and the click of a door being locked. Nervously, she sat up and peeked over Frostwave's coiled body.

Starfrost was staring at the cell across from theirs, his posture oddly tense. Had the raiders been doing something in that cell instead? But what?

His tongue darted out, and after a few moments, Starfrost opened his mouth as wide as the muzzle allowed and made the familiar raspy hiss of the Silver Horror, like someone trying to breathe with a horribly stuffy nose. Adlyn couldn't understand what he was saying — it was probably meant directly for the other dragon — but his intentions were clear. He wanted answers.

"Uh, hello? Is someone there?"

Adlyn blinked, genuinely surprised for the first time in far too long. That was a _person's_ voice, and he hadn't been speaking Bedohl. He talked like her parents did in her dreams, like she did only when it was just her, Frostwave, and Starfrost.

Starfrost seemed confused, too, and glanced Adlyn and Frostwave's way. Shifting for the first time in hours, his mother raised her head and bobbed it. He had permission to approach.

Gliding over the floor like the frozen streams she had heard about from her sister-in-all-but-blood, the Silver Horror slithered into the torchlight. Tiny glints sparked from the dull, faded patterns on his scales. If he had been healthy, Starfrost would have glistened like the night sky. Instead, he looked more like a small pile of dirty snow.

"So it _was_ a dragon. I guess this is where they keep the ones they capture. But why keep me here as well?"

The owner of the voice was scared, yes, but curious, too. Maybe he didn't understand just how bad his situation was. And he didn't seem to hate dragons, either, if his reaction to Starfrost was a clue.

" _He doesn't smell like the raiders. He smells like the ocean, and trees, and fish, and dragon,_ " Starfrost reported. " _He smells like a friend._ " It took Adlyn a few moments to understand what that odd tone in his voice was. He was _excited_ , and it made her wary.

 _Just because he smells like a dragon does not mean he is nice. He could be a dragon hunter the raiders captured._

Still, she had to admit it would be odd for the raiders to capture one of their supposed allies and lock him down here. Maybe there was a chance…

 _No, I should not jump to conclusions. The raiders might be doing this to mess with me._

" **Starfrost, come away from the door,** " Adlyn murmured, weakly reaching out. The dragon complied, albeit with a lingering look at their neighboring cell, and pressed his nasal horn to her palm in a show of comfort.

" _What's wrong, Adlyn? There was no danger. The dragon seems to trust him, and I trust the dragon,_ " Starfrost rasped, tilting his head to the side in confusion. She opened her mouth, wondering how best to explain that it was more learned caution than any real concern, but Frostwave beat her to it.

" _Your trust has gotten you into trouble before, hatchling. I agree that we should be wary of that human. Only when he proves his trustworthiness should we go near him,"_ the elder Horror hissed, pupils narrowing in the shadows of their cell. Chastised, Starfrost rasped his understanding and slithered to the bucket to lap up some water; with the matter resolved for now, Adlyn curled deeper into the makeshift nest formed by Frostwave's body, soaking up the warmth radiating from her scales.

 _I think I will take that nap now…_

* * *

Hiccup was very, very confused at the moment. The dragon he saw was an unfamiliar species, of a dull gray that glistened in the torchlight spilling into its cell, with eyes the color of fire. Its tongue had flicked out a few times from between its muzzled jaws, and then it opened them enough to release that awful hissing he had heard before.

That wasn't the confusing part, though. Not long after, he heard someone _answer_. True, it was in the weird language the Black Raiders used, but he was shocked to learn that he wasn't the only human down here. Considering it came from the same cell with the gray dragon, it gave him hope that the idea of coexisting with dragons wasn't some vain dream.

More hissing from the cell caught his attention, though this time, it sounded like a different dragon. A much angrier, more tired dragon. The first dragon replied, and then silence filled the air, broken only by the soft sounds of breathing and the crackle of the burning torch.

Beside him, Toothless warbled unhappily. Hiccup could understand the feeling. "Well bud, it looks like we're in a lot more trouble than I thought."

A dry snort was his only answer, and when nothing more could be heard, Hiccup slipped into a restless sleep.

* * *

The clatter of the door opening was what awoke Adlyn amidst a flurry of panic. Starfrost and Frostwave were both hissing defensively, and she could feel how tense the latter was at the moment.

" **Mealtime, brat.** " The curt voice of River filled the cell, followed shortly by the clatter of a tray being carelessly set on the ground and the thunk of a fresh bucket of water replacing the old one in the corner. His voice was full of gloating as he continued, " **Have you met your new neighbor yet? Gale picked him and his vile beast up on the last raid. If the Captain agrees, he will become Gale's new slave, and the beast will be sold off to dragon hunters, and Blackstone will be all the richer.** "

He snickered and exited, whistling cheerily down the hall. Adlyn, meanwhile, was paralyzed with terrified thoughts.

 _He is going to be a slave? He is going to be_ Gale's _slave? This is bad this is really bad I need to warn him no one should suffer like that but what if he does not believe me what if he thinks I am one of them but no one should be a slave like me not again please not again —_

The feeling of something cool and hard against her cheek was distracting enough that Adlyn forgot her train of thought, and Frostwave's quiet rasp helped soothe her nerves. " _It is okay, Adlyn. He is gone now. You are safe._ "

"But _he_ is not," she whispered in reply, glancing to the other cell. It appeared he and the new dragon had fallen asleep, if their lack of movement was any indication. That was good. They would need their rest.

"He _is not your concern. You should be more worried for yourself, and not some stranger you barely know._ "

"I do not want him to end up like me!"

" _And what if he hurts you when you help him? Adlyn, you know how horrible humans can be. I don't want to see you hurt again because of them._ "

Adlyn fell silent; taking her silence as a concession, Frostwave nudged her cheek again. " _Now come. We have food, and we should eat it before it goes bad._ "

Nodding, she crawled towards the tray and picked up the one fish left—Frostwave and Starfrost must have already eaten theirs. Going by the shape and what she could see of it, it was perch again. Still better than nothing.

Hunched over the tray, Adlyn could see fairly deep into the cell with the human and dragon. That extremely dark, larger shape must have been the dragon they planned on selling, and the thinner one stretching out beside it must have been Gale's future slave.

 _He is too thin. He will be easily broken by them._

The thought set her to shaking, and Adlyn stared down at the fish in her hands. Old memories were resurfacing, familiar pains rising up in her stomach, and she swallowed the bile in her throat.

 _I will not let them break him. They will not claim another soul._

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Adlyn called out into the depths of Blackstone,

"Hello?"

* * *

 _Why is it so dark out? Is there a storm coming? No, it's too quiet for that… wait, why is my bed so weird?_

Groggy with sleep, and slightly dazed from his growing hunger, Hiccup opened his eyes to the forbidding darkness of a cold cell. It took him a few moments to understand what was going on, but when it did, it hit him like one of the Jorgenson sucker punches.

 _Oh gods, I'm in Blackstone. I'm in Blackstone with Toothless. Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods, this is very bad. Is Toothless okay?_

Twisting around told Hiccup that Toothless was still with him, and was, in fact, the softer half of his "bed." The Night Fury had yet to awaken, but the steady, deep breathing beneath him was a sign that he was still healthy. That was a good thing. There was a decided lack of those lately, and it would be a good idea to keep track of the pros of this situation.

Pros: Toothless seemed healthy, although he could probably do with something to eat. Neither of them had been seriously hurt beyond anything that had happened during their capture. They were together, and from what he could tell, there was a potential ally right across the way.

Cons: He was currently tied up in a way that made using his hands next to impossible. Toothless had a muzzle on that kept him from firing a plasma blast, and maneuverability was close to zero at the moment. He had no understanding of the island's layout; considering it seemed mostly underground, that ruled out using the sun and stars as guides. A slight cramp in his stomach and an accompanying grumble reminded him that he hadn't eaten since the day before.

Hiccup sighed and leaned against Toothless's flank. Escape seemed like a bad idea at the moment. He'd need to figure out a plan first.

With nothing better to do, he stared at the dark wall, mentally calculating how long he had been gone. It was late afternoon when he was captured, with about two days on the open sea, and he had lost consciousness after the thing with the gray dragon. Physical exhaustion always took its toll.

"Hello?"

Even now, he was probably imagining someone talking to him. After all, the only other person down here was another prisoner like him…

Hiccup blinked once, twice, and then bolted upright. That voice was real. Quiet, and hesitant, but most definitely real. He looked toward the cell opposite, only to recoil in shock at what he saw.

The person staring into his cell was as gaunt as a skeleton, the ragged shift they wore hanging from their shoulders like that time Hiccup tried to wear his dad's fur cape. Dark hair clung to their head in thin chunks, cut almost to the scalp. Only the shape of the person's jaw and the shift clued him in that his fellow prisoner was a girl. Everything else was just painful to see.

"Oh, uh, hello! I didn't think I'd have company down here," he called out, shuffling towards the cell door on his knees. Once he was in the pool of light cast by the torch, she focused on him, her dull eyes scanning his figure rapidly.

"You are friends with dragons, yes?" Her Norse was far clearer than he expected, but it was a welcome surprise.

Hiccup smiled sheepishly and nodded. "I guess so, yeah. What about you?"

The girl nodded and glanced back, most likely at the dragon (dragons?) in the cell with her.

"Yes. They are my friends and my family. Here." Her bony hand slipped through the bars with ease, a cooked fish within her fingers. "For you and your dragon friend."

Hiccup tried taking it. He really did. There was just one problem: his hands were literally tied.

"Um, thank you, but, uh, I'm afraid I'll have to decline. It's a bit hard to take anything without hands."

"Use the door."

"What?"

She rapped her knuckles against the metal blades that made up the cell door, and repeated herself. "The bars are sharp. Use them to cut the ropes."

Nodding, Hiccup twisted around and began rubbing his bindings against one bar's lower edge. At around the time his shoulders began to ache, the rope loosened around his wrists, and with a slight tug, he was free.

He turned around with a smile and reached out to accept the fish. "Hey, thanks for helping me with that. I'm Hiccup."

The girl seemed confused, but after a few moments of thought, motioned to herself and croaked, "I am Adlyn."

After that, she withdrew back into her cell, ending any further conversation. Still, Hiccup found he had another thing to add to the list of pros:

A potential friend.

* * *

 **Author's Notes: I would just like to say a few things in my defense before the roasting begins: First, I live near the West Coast of the US, so I apologize if this is reaching you on the 26th. For me, it is still the 25th. Secondly, this chapter is so late compared to the others because I have been busy moving for the past few weeks and have not had the time or energy to write. The house I am moving to is leagues above where I used to live, and I hope to get much writing done there.**

 **No guest reviews this time, but that's cool. I'll see you all in a month!**

 **Tired but happy, Wild Cat, out!**


	5. Chapter 4: Fragments

Of the three dragons held in Blackstone's depths, Frostwave was currently the angriest, and if the Black Raiders had learned anything from their island's history, it was that an angry Silver Horror was the most dangerous kind.

Apparently, hoping that Adlyn would care about her own life for once was a bit too much to ask of the girl. There was no trace of fish on her breath when the dragoness awoke next, which meant she hadn't eaten her food, which meant she had explicitly gone against what Frostwave wanted and given it to the human in their neighboring cell.

 _Well, if she starts complaining later that her stomach hurts, it's her own fault._

Not that she would, as Frostwave knew. Adlyn had a maddening habit of disregarding her own wellbeing for the sake of others, to the point that she would ignore any problems just to ease the minds of those close to her. Frostwave could appreciate the sentiment, but not when it came at the expense of her sister-in-all-but-blood's own life.

There was no use scolding her, though. Adlyn wasn't inclined to change, and Frostwave had no way of encouraging her to do so.

Softly growling in frustration, Frostwave returned to sleeping, shifting her coiled body just a little tighter around the restless girl in the middle.

* * *

Hiccup wasn't exactly sure how much time had passed since Adlyn gave him the fish, but Toothless was now awake and had apparently eaten it, if its absence was any indication. Still, at least his dragon friend was more active than before. He just wished they had some water. His throat was bone dry.

As if answering his prayers, footsteps and the clunk of something wooden could be heard approaching his cell, and Hiccup looked up in time to see a couple of burly men outside his cell. One of them, the shorter man with a yellow circle on his arm, carried a tray and a bucket, while the one with a red spiral bore one of the jagged black weapons that gave them their name. Red-Spiral unlocked the cell, keeping a sharp eye on Hiccup and Toothless. Yellow-Circle, on the other hand, set the tray and bucket down near the door and left quickly.

Once his cell door was locked again, the two began to walk back towards wherever the way up was, completely disregarding Adlyn's cell. Confused, Hiccup made his way to the bars, taking care to not cut himself.

"Hey, aren't you forgetting someone?" he called out, brow furrowing. The footsteps paused, then one man – Yellow-Circle – came back into view.

"Is the food not to your liking, boy?" he snapped. "Or do you think you deserve more?"

"I'm talking about Adlyn. Shouldn't she get fed, too?"

Yellow-Circle snorted. "The traitor was fed yesterday. She'll get more tomorrow, if she behaves. Something you'd do well to keep in mind while you're here."

With that, he spun on his heel and left the dungeon and a reeling Hiccup.

It took a concerned nudge from Toothless to break him from his stunned stupor, and when he did, Hiccup could only stare, aghast, at the cell across. _That_ was why Adlyn looked like a skeleton? The raiders were keeping her near starvation?

Also, what was with that "traitor" business? Was it why she was kept down here? Did it have something to do with being a "friend of dragons?"

Hiccup groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. He did not ask for this. Why was his life suddenly becoming so much more complicated? The gods really did hate him, didn't they?

* * *

"...lyn? Psst, Adlyn, are you there?"

Blinking away her drowsiness, Adlyn looked around in confusion. Gradually, recent events sunk back in, and she carefully clambered away from Frostwave and towards the door. Pressed against the bears of the chamber opposite was her fellow prisoner—Hiccup, if she remembered correctly.

"Oh, good, you're awake. I was beginning to think I'd need to try again later," he sighed in relief.

"Yes, I am awake. What is it?"

Hiccup looked away, as if searching for his next words, and then stared her dead in the eyes. "Adlyn, the guards just came by with food for me and Toothless, and… one of them called you a traitor. Why? Does it have something to do with dragons?"

Frozen, all Adlyn could do was stiffly nod then turn to look at the two Silver Horrors in the cell, their scales glinting ever so dully in what little torchlight trickled inside.

"Why did they lock you up, then? Why didn't they just, uh..."

"Because we have use in their eyes. Frostwave and Starfrost are needed for raids, and I am needed to keep them under control. That is why they have not killed me."

"Then… what about me and Toothless?"

She swallowed the lump in her throat. "You will be broken and turned into a slave. That is why I gave you the fish. You need to keep your strength up so you can escape."

 _As for the dragon, they plan on selling him off, but I do not think you want to hear that._

Hiccup was silent, and a slight twist of her head revealed him carefully examining his cell door. Curious, but too tired to investigate, Adlyn returned to the nest formed by Frostwave and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Snub, of the House of Lights, was the youngest of the Captain's children, and arguably the greatest disappointment. At twelve, instead of following in his family's footsteps and becoming a red-marked warrior, he had chosen the yellow of Blackstone Island's backbone—the healers like him, the farmers, the cooks. Already seen as lesser for his mismatched eyes, choosing the healer's craft had been the last straw for his father, and Snub became the laughingstock of his family, if not the whole island.

To him, however, bearing a yellow diamond on his arm was his way of making things up to the girl in the dungeons. Adlyn was one of the few who didn't see him as a failure. Even when it was discovered that she had befriended a dragon – and not just any dragon, but a Silver Horror, no less – Snub never stopped seeing her as his friend. He always volunteered to be the healer in charge of caring for her after her monthly punishment.

For the past three-going-on-four years, that was enough for him. That was all he felt he _could_ do for her. Lately, however, Snub had been feeling restless. Maybe it had something to do with the new prisoner rotting away in the Deep Cells, the one who showed that Adlyn's friendship with dragons wasn't just her own personal brand of madness. Maybe it was just years of watching her suffer and being nearly helpless about it. Either way, Snub had resolved to help Adlyn and this new prisoner (and the dragons, he supposed) escape to freedom.

The Arrival Festival was coming in two days, and with it came the best chance of freeing the prisoners in the Deep Cells. Now he just needed to finish arrangements for the escape without anyone, _especially_ not his father, finding out.

It shouldn't be too hard. They barely paid attention to him anyway.

* * *

 _Ragnar held tight to Adlyn's hand as they walked home, an exasperated look on his face, and an impish one on hers. They skirted the village with distance, as most looked on the family with suspicion that hadn't faded after years of Ragnar's arrival and the two wanted no trouble._

" _Adlyn, what have I told you about going into the tunnels without supervision? You could have been hurt," Ragnar sighed as they crested a hill._

 _The impish grin fell away with Adlyn's reply of, "I'm sorry, Da. I just wanted to find the music."_

" _The music?"_

 _Ragnar had stopped dead in his tracks, a nervous crinkle in his brow. Puzzled, but agreeable, she looked up at her father and nodded. "The music! I wanna know where it's coming from!"_

 _He stared down at her for several long moments, his expression unfamiliar to Adlyn, before he knelt and placed both hands on her shoulders._

" _Adlyn, you have to promise me something. Promise me you won't tell anyone about the music."_

" _Not even Uncle Gunnar?"_

" _Not even him."_

" _Not even Mum?"_

" _No one can know, Adlyn. It's very important that we keep this between us."_

 _She thought about it, holding her chin like she had seen some of the adults do, then nodded once. "Okay, I won't tell. It'll be our secret!"_

 _Ragnar smiled in relief. "Yes, our secret." He straightened and took hold of her hand once more, and the two continued their walk back to the house._

" _So, what do you think we should have for dinner?"_

" _Stew!"_

" _You sure you aren't tired of it by now?"_

" _I'll never be tired of stew! Stew is amazing!"_

 _They laughed, especially when Adlyn's stomach growled and twinged with hunger cramps._

 _The stew that night was delicious._

* * *

 **Author's Notes: It's shorter than I hoped, but considering there isn't a lot going on at this point, and forcing myself to write more will just turn out something mediocre, I'm going to leave it like this.**

 **Mariah (Chapter 4, Mar. 26) - Romance will be awhile in blossoming, I'm afraid.**

 **Things'll start picking up after this, I promise! Till then, Wild Cat, out!**


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